Thanks guys some great info in there.
Would you say there's an optimum age to buy one of these vehicles all things being equal if planning on keeping for 10 years or so? So better to buy at one year old than 3 years old if possible? Is there a case for new even if planning on owning for that length of time?
If buying direct from a dealership is there normally much wiggle room in the price on 2nd hand models.... I'm guessing January is a slow time for them and may be receptive to iffers.
You're right that January is a slow time for dealerships (they are normally desperate to hit their sales targets for either the calendar year and bought many pre-reg cars and are keen to reduce stock (including older cars that have been sitting around longer) to recoup the money spent on buying the new ones, and are still looking to entice customers to buy new ones in the run-up to the reg change on 1st March as well.
My local Mazda dealership has been knocking over 20% off some showroom models, so its likely other makes are doing the same too, including reducing prices for a while on older cars. Worth also having a look at newer 2nd hand models at car supermarkets like Motorpoint - some really good deals abound where manufacturer Main Dealers sometimes want to offload slow sellers for peanuts and are then resold at the car supermarkets for only a few hundred markup, if that. Many sold on such sites are undercutting the sticker price of main dealers by significant amounts.
I'm currently in the market for a replacement (possibly a bit smaller, more oomph and an auto [non CVT/DSG] as half [in terms of time] of my journey to work is in slow-moving traffic) for my 11yo Mazda3 mk1 1.6 petrol - I've probably been lucky with it not rusting, and as others have said, aside general wear-and-tear items it has ran very well, and especially the engine which feels as good as new and still can be thrashed when needs be.
If you're mostly doing town/30mph driving, then do you really need the extra power over a 1.6 non-turbo petrol or 1.2 turbo-petrol (however nice to drive the 2ltr non-turbo petrol or 1.4 turbo-petrol cars are). If the type of driving is mainly in jig-jog traffic, you may also (as I am) wish to consider an automatic for ease of use in such traffic.
If you do, make sure you go for a decent test drive to see if (if you don't/haven't driven an auto before, especially some of the CVT/DSG types) you could get on with one over a manual or standard torque-converter versions. Note that not many affordable or reliable makes sell cars with torque-converter boxes - many of the Japanese (except Mazda) go with CVTs (ok-ish on reliability but get poor reviews for the driving experience - perhaps better suited to town-only driving), many EU makes go with DSG twin-clutch units (newer tech which many makes still haven't got right on the useability [hesitating off the mark] and especially the reliability front).
Whilst I'm biased as a Mazda owner, I would say the Honda Civic 1.8 petrol (manual or auto) may be better, especially as it has a big boot for a car of its size (nice for loading child's buggies) and its chain-cam engine is at least as bullet-proof as my Mazda3's, but without any potential rusting issues down the road. Admitedly you may pay a bit more for servicing than at a Mazda dealership, but I suspect its slightly better reliability long-term evens that out.
If your heart is really set on a car with more poke, such as a VAG 1.4 TSi (not the 160bhp twin charger), then as Skidpan says the Seat Leon is a very good value-for-money choice, as long as you can find a good main dealer to look after it (similarly with the Skoda Octavia if you want a LOT more space).
Might also be worth considering an estate version if the particular make does one for extra boot size (and probably easier to see out the back for parking) to house all those lovely child-related things, especially when going away on holiday, etc. Admitedly the Civic Tourer would be an 'aquired taste', but the Leon ST is easy on the eye.
My final bit of advice is for the test drive/look round - bring the sort of buggies, holiday suitcases, gold bags etc you might take on a family trip and see if they can fit in the boot of the cars you like. You might find some are far more practical than others. My Mazda3 is a saloon, and whilst it suits me (bigger boot by 50 ltrs than the hatchback), the small boot aperture (opening) means I can't fit any large cubed-shaped boxes in. Some boots are also narrow or have structural beams protruding into the space and can restrict what you can get in.
Good luck!
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